Tag Archives: language learning

Highlights of San Sebastián, Spain

as experienced through the eyes, ears, feet, stomach, and heart of Sj.

If you’re looking for a WHAT to DO, WHAT to EAT, WHERE to STAY type of post regarding San Sebastián, you’re in the wrong place.

Nice meeting you, and I wish you well as you search for all that data.

If you want to know how it FELT to be in San Sebastián, you’re in the right place.

Overall, it felt good; though at times it was quite cold for this Kaua‘i gal. And on two particular days, it was quite hot (37 Celsius or 98.6 Fahrenheit). It was amazing how the temperature could change by about 20 degrees Fahrenheit from one day to the next. Fortunately, I had my Mom’s silk long underwear; so I was ready for anything.

The following is a list of my personal fav experiences and/or thoughts.

Of all the places I’ve visited during my life (and that’s been plenty), I have never before encountered a collection of people who were as consistently kind and helpful.

Yes, for real.

From the grocery clerk who was helping an elderly woman make sure some product didn’t have something in it that would harm a family member who had some particular food allergy to the tour boat captain who must have seen at least 5,000,000 visitors come on his boat and ask the same questions (over and over and over again).

I can’t promise you that that’s what you’ll experience, but for me, I did. Time and time again, I met kind people who looked me in the eye and really listened.

She’s not from San Sebastián; she’s French and lives in Paris, but her performance in a quartet during their annual jazz festival was one of my aural highlights. Her talent, exuberance, joy in doing exactly what she was doing at the particular moment (singing!) was an incredible gift to all of us lucky folk who were there that Saturday evening in late July.

This is the language school that I happened to pick. There are many. Each person who worked there that I had the opportunity to get to know (either as a teacher or as a guide on one of the many excursions they host) was kind, professional, knowledgeable, and just cool. Yup, you guys rock, Silvia, Ester, Gorka, Idoia, Concha, Nora, Sara, and Salva!

The combination of mountains and sea.

Face it. I call Kaua‘i home and to find a place in the world where I could go for a hike and swim on the same day while learning Spanish . . . it just doesn’t get any better than that.

The town itself. It’s not too big; it’s not too small, but it’s . . . just right!

I liked how San Sebastián is laid out, how you can’t get too lost because you just need to figure out where the ocean or a particular hill is and then which bridge you’re seeing . . . and voila! I’d realize where I was.

Peaches (melocotones)

Okay, it was summer. And the peaches were dripping with yummy goodness. I love fresh, ripe peaches!

For less than a bottle of water (which wasn’t necessary in San Sebastián, per my host, their water comes from the Pyrénées mountains and is very clean), you can buy a glass of vino rosado. I didn’t have it everyday, but when I did, I really enjoyed it. It’s not super sweet like we have the U.S., and the color is really beautiful.

And now for a random collection of photographs . . .

Enjoy!

✫ Sj ✫

Somehow they got wind that we were coming and laid out the red carpet. : )

In Paris we needed to change train stations . . .

. . . which meant a ride on the metro.

Only a few paid any attention to us.

Pedrata really enjoyed the ride.

And she was super handy making sure we made the right connection.

Our wonderful German friends baked a special chocolate cake for us. : )

Pedrata liked the train ride too.

But every now and then, she liked to take a break.

This is the particular school in San Sebastián I chose; it rocked.

Here we are with NORA; she's an excellent teacher!!!

I celebrated my first day of school in San Sebastián by going out to lunch.

The school had an organized tour of the beaches one day.

Sometimes it was easier to take a picture of what we were working on and then later update my notes. Topic? Verbs.

Went with the school gang to this museum. Topic? PEACE! Yes, Peace!

In San Sebastián, tapas are called pintxo (pronounced peen-chos : )

My host family took me to a soccer match. The host 15 year old scored a pentaly kick. Yahoo!

I too scored and got to live in a beautiful apartment with a gorgeous view.

There are several bridges in San Sebastián; this one was the most spectacular (to me).

Like the mix of the old with the new.

My host let me use his bike . . . until the brakes went out for good LOL.

We discovered an amazing park.

Pedrata took a quick nap in the bed that was set up just for her!

Cristina-Enea park in San Sebastián was one of my all time fav finds.

Ummm . . . think it's the same as in English?

I had the pleasure of climbing these beautiful stairs every day.

Not too shabby a view for when I studied, eh?

Went for a stroll one evening around sunset (9:45 p.m.!)

Really enjoyed listening to and watching the trains.

This is at the far end of the beach all the way to the right . . . that's Jesus on the hill.

We were invited to Pamplona for a night; Pedrata wanted to check out where the bulls enter the stadium after their run through town.

In the stadium, the energy was electric.

They would display live video of the running with the bulls.

First people just gathered down below.

Then the bulls arrived . . . one by one.

Pedrata and I were feeling for the animals . . .

Our very kind host said I just HAD to have my picture taken in front of Ernest Hemingway.

I really enjoyed the architecture in Pamplona.

There's a real campaign in the area to stop sexual violence. Hurrah for that.

Bill Clinton is said to have stood at the top of this fountain and then fallen into the arms of friends below.

The bulls ran down this street . . . while we were safely tucked in the stadium.

This was the closing ceremony after a week of bulls running each morning at 8 (from their holding pen to the arena).

Back in San Sebastián, Pedrata and I wanted to go see Jesus.

What Jesus sees.

Pedrata and Jesus had a little chat.

Pedrata wanted her picture taken in front of the view.

We saw some beautiful flowers along the way.

One Saturday, I packed a lunch and went for a hike.

It was part of the famous El Camino trail.

It was such an amazing hike . . . and so easy to reach from town.

I loved the vibrant colors.

This particular path went along the coast.

There were also little finger trails out to some points.

I walked to a major harbor town . . .

. . . called Pasia. The only way to reach part of the town is by boat.

One Sunday afternoon, I went to visit a Kauai friend who has a home here.

I really enjoyed watching the weather change and the sun set.

Tricia Evy. Check her out! LOVED her energy AND voice.

Pedrata only wanted to go to school once. She didn't see the point.

Another school excursion.

Just loved the clothes line.

San Sebastián is a coastal town after all.

There was lots of learning going on.

Pedrata got a laugh out of this particular pintxo. Yum! Breakfast for dinner!

This fish pintxo is more typical . . .

Met these 2 beautiful ladies after my last day of school. Could we converse? Si! Yeah! This gal was celebrating . . . and still is. : )

Now that's handy!

San Sebastián was a very important launching point in the 17 hundreds.

A new way to play an accordian.

This is a view I can never tire of.

There was this cool exhibit on the river. YO = I.

TU = You. This represents the Other.

YO = the individual

The display was disigned to reflect in the water.

Nosotros = We. Sj's interpretation: We are all ONE.

Here's the artists' explanantion.

Yes, I exist, and you do too!

This is the NEW cathedral; the old one is on the other end of a very long street.

Another evening stroll . . .

I lived somewhere up there for these most wonderful 4 weeks of Spanish language learning.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your view!!!

Adios San Sebastián. (Had a b'fast pintxo on the way out.)

This way to San Sebastián . . .

But we're leaving San Sebastián! Pedrata reminded me.

That's the way we want to go, she said.

See?

Oh! So that's why we needed to be here right now!

To meet our new friends! We're only ever exactly where we're meant to be. :-)

And then it was time to head to Paris. Adios San Sebastián! Fue increible.

p.s. You’ll notice that Pintxos (Basque word for tapas) are not on my list. Most people go on and on about them. The locals love them. They were alright, but being a gal who really prefers vegetables over meat, they were just okay to me.

Like this:

Or not. But in my little head that’s what I hear.

“What’s been happening, Sj? You’ve been in Spain three weeks now. You told us that it was a mind-+&^%$#k moving into another language. You sent us a short video of street music, but that’s it! Are you still alive? Still engaged? Still learning?”

Sí

Sí

y

Sí

“Kay, but what’s been happening?”

Loads. Bunches. Heaps. Muchas. All KINDS of things!

But what I’m finding is that what I most enjoy is simply being.

Being in Spain.

Being in Europe.

Being on this planet.

A walk to school is an adventure.

Turn here? Or there? Haven’t been on this street yet.

I stop. I look up. I love the architecture. The little balconies. The high windows. The clothes hanging on the accordian-like clothes lines which protrude from the base of random windows. The donging of cathedral bells. I love the city gardens. The green tomatoes I pass as I go down about 5,000 stairs when leaving the villa I’m fortunate enough to be living in while I’m here (in San Sebastián).

I love the random hazelnut in my muesli that I’m currently eating.

I love the view from this extraordinary top floor flat. That I can say hey to Jesus across the way. That I can watch storm clouds gather. See sailboats on the horizon. Barges. Rain upon the window panes. And lots and lots of green all around the mostly terra-cotta roofs to my right (which faces another hill where there are amazing hiking trails).

Yes, it sometimes makes it hard to get things done when all I want to do is stop and be silent. Observe. Feel. Smell.

But I’ve come to realize that that is what we’re really here to do. To be. To experience. To feel.

Sure, we have to do those odd things like go to school, get a job, and then work to earn money to feed and clothe ourselves.

But

But

But

The BEING, I feel, is the absolute most important thing.

The awareness of who we are.

That each and every one of us is a walking miracle.

A walking act of grace in the shape of skin and bones.

Each and every one of us.

So . . . Sj, what’s been happening in Spain? you ask.

Loads.

Heaps.

Mountainous piles of everything.

Next time I’ll fill you in with some particulars.

But for now, enjoy wherever you are. Feel the air on your skin. Notice your breath.

Hmmm . . . what to write?

The school I attended, Alpadia, is really a great school for folks like me wanting to get some input after learning on their own. The variety of ages and nationalities attending the school made it interesting. Bottom line. We were all there to learn French. Some because they had to (for school or work), but most (it seemed to me) because they wanted to (be there).

And this time around, I really got how spoken French is so very different from written French. I don’t mean the absence of sounds, like the s at the end of many words, but rather that they just don’t say what they write. They leave so many things out. And it seems that there’s an *unofficial way of talking that has nothing to do with what one reads, a spoken vocabulary that a non-native like me really has to search for. (Unlike spoken German which matches what we’re taught in school.)

So . . . my biggest take away is that I have to continue listening to French, spoken French, like in movies. This Harry Potter fan will continue to listen to JK Rowling’s books in French, BUT I’ll make sure to add a heaping dose of actual French conversations.

At times learning a new language seems insurmountable, with two steps forward and three steps back. BUT this gal, moi, has a tenacity that surprises even me.

I will continue.

One step at a time.

Both the forward ones.

And the backward ones.

This includes the next four weeks, which I’ll spend in San Sebastian, Spain attending another small language school (this time for Spanish) while residing with a Spanish family.

Where am I at the moment?

In Germany, not too far from Heidelberg, spending a most wonderfully relaxing week with dear, dear friends.

And . . . believe it or not, speaking in German is actually giving me a most welcome rest from intense mental activity. My girlfriend, who I call a walking dictionary and grammar guide, corrects me when I say something a little wacky. I welcome each correction and celebrate as I also recognize that they’re coming less and less frequently.

Meanwhile, here are some photos I took while in Lyon.

Enjoy!

✫ Sj✫

Lyon has a zoo.

And it's in Parc de la Tête d'Or.

I was so happy to see that the sad elephant was gone.

And that the impressive lions were still there.

There are actual bees in this 3D display.

There's a lake in the park.

And lots of lawn areas.

But my fav was the rose garden.

I never tired of smelling them.

Two wonderful guys in this shop helped me get great kids books (for me : )

Pedrata loves having her own original art (link of artist below).

The street flea markets were super fun.

I have a chair I want to recover; this is to show me what I need to do.

Sometimes I'd just stop somewhere for a real coffee.

Loved this playground close to the mac store.

That red moto is speaking to me. Can you hear her?

Love the color of this ghia.

And this one had Hawaii all over it.

The front side of Fourvière

It's like a magnet; it keeps drawing your eyes to it.

Another church in the old city. I just liked this.

One of the best concert experiences in my life.

The music was great, the setting extraordinary.

I loved biking at night in Lyon.

Yoko Ono has an art exhibit in Lyon.

A few of us from the school explored Yoko Ono's exhibition.

This was such a fun night.

Hanging out with new friends.

J & J, so great getting to know you both!!!

*Dear Non-native English Speakers,

I’d love to know about some of your experiences in learning English. What are some specific challenges?